Research to look into driving behavior around commercial motor vehicles
Louisiana State University will be conducting research to better understand driver behavior around commercial motor vehicles via a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration grant.
Using an artificial intelligence engine, researchers will analyze videos obtained from video cameras to identify high-risk traffic situations around commercial vehicles, according to a news release. The research will be conducted by Louisiana State University’s Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety.
Although fatal crashes are on the rise, it is not known who is at fault. Researchers plan to build dashboards to provide insight into what factors contribute to crashes with commercial motor vehicles. Furthermore, the technology may provide insights into how distracted driving plays a role in crashes with commercial motor vehicles.
“We have very good information on crashes on roads,” Helmut Schneider, executive director of the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety, said in a statement. “But we don’t have information regarding driving behavior on roads that may lead to crashes. This grant will help to provide information about driver behavior on roads, especially around commercial vehicles.”
The research is being funded by nearly $1 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation, including a grant from FMCSA. The agency provides competitive grants on research in how to reduce crashes involving commercial vehicles.
Louisiana State University points out that there has been an increase in sideswipe crashes with commercial motor vehicles on Interstate 10 in New Orleans. Research conducted by the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety may provide some answers regarding why those crashes are occurring.
“It was suspected that some may have been staged by car drivers. These types of crashes could be identified by cameras,” Schneider said. “Analyzing videos using AI will further help us as researchers to better understand what leads to a crash.”
In fact, nearly 50 people have been charged in an investigation called Operation Sideswipe. The investigation includes at least one personal injury attorney staging crashes with commercial motor vehicles. Hundreds of crashes from 2015 through 2017 were involved in the wider staged-crash conspiracy, according to court documents.
The two-year research project will culminate in data dashboards that identify major risk factors that cause crashes to help inform where and when resources can best be deployed to reduce vehicle crashes, according to the university. LL
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